Today, the majority of households in America, and many around the world, have clothes dryers. In general, people have come to expect a certain level of performance from their dryers. Air flow through the dryer plays an important role in meeting these performance expectations.
Laundry dryer performance parameters such as drying time, temperature, noise levels, etc. depend largely on the characteristics of the air flow through the dryer. The air grill, air duct and lint blade all can influence these characteristics. During operation of a laundry dryer, any obstructions within the air flow path, such as clothes lodged on the air grill, may prevent proper airflow. In such instances, surging of the dryer may occur causing high noise levels and excessive loading of the blower motor (which may also serve to drive rotation of a drum of the dryer). In addition, drying time may be extended due to the irregular air flow, reduced tumbling action because of clothing becoming lodged on the air grill, etc. Providing a more consistent air flow through the dryer by reducing or eliminating air flow obstructions can provide improved performance.
Typically, the inlet to the duct employed to exhaust air from a dryer drum, and the overlying air grill, are arranged on a vertical or steeply inclined wall surface of the front bulkhead, below the access opening. To provide the necessary space for the duct inlet and grill thus may require the access opening to be raised to a higher position than may be optimal. This issue becomes more critical as the size (e.g., diameter and depth) of the dryer drum increases, as the size and position of the access opening will have a significant impact on the ability of a user to reach into, and access clothing or other items of the laundry load located in, the lower and rear portions of the drum.